I
love this story.
Gary Stein was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps. He's
also an avid supporter of the Tea Party and, as they are apt to be, quite the
anti-Obama Tea Partying Marine.
In fact, he is so anti-Obama that
he is vocal in his opposition to the Commander-In-Chief, and, on his Facebook
page has taken to calling the president, "The real enemy."
And or his outspokenness, and
threat to disobey any orders sent down via the president, Sgt. Gary Stein
has lost his bid to stay in the Marine Corps. Brig. Gen. Daniel Yoo ordered the
Stein, a veteran of nine years, be removed from the service with an
other-than-honorable discharge and reduction in rank to lance corporal.
A Marine can receive an
other-than-honorable discharge if the basis for his or her dismissal is a
serious offense representing a "significant departure from the conduct
expected." And, an other-than-honorable discharge means Stein loses
most of his veteran benefits.
Stein's attorney, Gary Kreep of
the United States Justice Foundation, says they will fight on,
pressing a federal court case and appealing through Marine Corps legal channels
for his reinstatement. His defenders are an unusual mix of attorneys with
ties to the Tea Party and other conservative causes, as well as the American
Civil Liberties Union.
In fact, ACLU attorney David
Loy said the legal team does not believe Stein's Facebook postings on his
Armed Forces Tea Party page and other sites are anything more than legitimate
and allowable expressions under the First Amendment.
Like when Stein said he would not
follow orders given by President Obama, the Commander-In-Chief, nor would he
ever salute the president.
When challenged, almost
instantly, by his fellow Marines about his comments, Stein backtracked,
withdrew them, apologized and later said what he meant was that he wouldn't
follow any "unlawful" orders issued by the commander in chief.
Which, of course, is not what he said.
And Marine prosecutors argue that
those statements, when combined with Stein's speeches at Tea Party gatherings,
and selling anti-Obama bumper stickers on his Armed Forces Tea
Party page, clearly broke the rules.
Here's my two cents: if you join
the military, your boss is the president of the United States. You don't like
that, then ask to be released. otherwise, do the job for which this country and
it's taxpayers ask of you.
I imagine there were quite a few
members of the military who weren't real keen on W's "War For Oil" or
"War For WMD" or "War For Saddam" but they followed orders
and did as they were told. Or, they asked to be released. Or, failing all that,
simply kept their mouths shut.
Gary Stein could take a lesson
from that last bit.
Although now, as a private
citizen, her can say and do whatever he wants, and become just another Tea
Party wingnut.
